The Most Delicious Pasta!

I swear, this is the BEST pasta recipe I’ve ever made. Really…it is. And its so simple and quick! Part of the reason I love this recipe, is that I use fresh cherry tomatoes to make the sauce and thats basically it. It tastes so “tomato-y” and fresh. A little crushed red pepper and basil really make this dish pop. I think everyone will love it!

Here’s the recipe:

4 quarts cherry tomatoes (I used red, yellow or whatever is fresh)

1/4 cup olive oil (just enough to coat the bottom of the pan)

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp pepper

1 tsp sugar (sweetens up the acidic tomatoes)

1/2 tsp red pepper flakes (more or less if desired)

1/4 cup fresh basil packed – shredded

1 lb pasta (shells or other curly pasta work well as they hold onto the sauce the best)

Boil and cook pasta according to directions.

In a heavy bottom and high sided saute pan, add oil and heat over medium high to high heat. Once pan is hot (oil should shimmer) add all the cherry tomatoes. Stand back because they’ll spit a little bit! Add salt, pepper and red pepper flakes. Stir to coat the tomatoes with oil. After about 5-7 minutes most of the tomatoes should have burst open and their juices bubbling up in the pan.

Use a potato masher or large flat wooden spoon to crush the rest of the tomatoes until it forms a thick and chunky sauce. Cook for a another 2-3 minutes. (If needed, add a little pasta water to thin the sauce out. However, it should be OK.) Once pasta is finished cooking, add directly to the sauce in the pan and toss to coat. Toss in basil and serve immediately!